Grade 5: Reading Literature – “A Patch of Old Snow”

COMMON CORE STANDARDS

Reading Literature

RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

RL.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

RL.5.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4-5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

DESCRIPTION OF UNIT

This Grade 5 video unit titled “Reading Literature: A Patch of Old Snow”from LearnZillion.com is intended to be completed in six sessions of ELA/Literacy instruction. The individual poetry lesson pods focus on: interpreting the title, using the title to guide reading, reading a poem out- loud, interpreting the structure, determining the meaning, and determining the message. The summative assessment asks students to independently apply their knowledge of reading poetry by analyzing and summarizing a new poem.

CAUTIONS

Connecticut teachers should be aware that the website, as well as the teacher notes and preparation materials, will require familiarity to be used effectively. (For example, the “Slides” button listed under “Resources for This Lesson” contains not only slides of the video pod, but guided practice and extension activities.) There is no aligned rubric to provide sufficient guidance for interpreting student performance on the summative assessment.

RATIONALE FOR SELECTION

The unit is a good example of how to sequence, scaffold, and support learning where concepts and skills advance and deepen over time. Each lesson pod addresses targeted CCSS instructional expectations and is easy to understand and implement. The lessons are designed to be used in multiple ways in school and/or at home to provide appropriate supports for all students—those at grade level, as well as those who are ELL, have disabilities, or who read well below the grade level text band. The use of technology and media allows flexibility for teachers as they plan and deliver their instruction.